“And Pilate again asked him, “Have you no answer to make? See how many charges they bring against you.”(Mark 15:4 ESVi)

Have you ever met someone who has an answer for everything? Do you like them? Maybe that is you, or you live with one!

Do we think of them as arrogant, proud or just rude? How does it make you feel being with someone who has that tendency?

The opposite is also true! What about those being asked but do not want to say anything? They keep silent and refuse to talk. The cold treatment!
Do you believe Jesus is being rude? Well, it depends on the context. In a courtroom, you would expect to hear a name and possibly a home address being said by the accused. Can you imagine Pilate asking Jesus what your name is and where you come from? Then Jesus looks at his lawyer for assurance, then directing his face towards Pilate he says: I am Jesus, and I come from Nazareth, and now my lawyer will speak for me!

I have a vivid imagination! The irony is that Jesus knows everything that is revealed to him by his Father. Jesus is the voice that needs to be heard; why? Because with every word he says, the weight of heaven rests in every spoken syllable. If there was a perfect setting for Jesus to speak, it was this one.

The most eloquent speaker who ever spoke now has a captivated audience, yet he decides to remain silent. He had an audience with Pilate, and every ear and eye were set on him. That courtroom could have been a defining moment, a victory.

I would have loved to hear how Jesus would have answered Pilate. But Jesus did not say a word! Could you imagine yourself hiding behind a pillar and listening and seeing without getting caught in this life-transforming moment?

What is wrong with Jesus?

Why is he not answering?

Why is no one defending him?

Why is no one speaking on his behalf or encouraging Jesus to speak?

By saying nothing, Jesus is shouting so powerfully in the minds and souls of his audience.

Pilate let Jesus know of the many charges the religious leaders accused him of, as if Jesus was unaware of them.

Let me be clear: he did not need to shout and did all the screaming the night before. Jesus cried his heart out in the garden. It was such an emotional experience that drops of blood, not sweat, fell on the ground. Jesus’ silence is a deep sound resonating powerfully in the hearts of his accusers, full of a deep conviction and a deep desire for true justice.
While Jesus’ silence speaks so loud, he also shows us a great example of self-control. Self-control is a powerful weapon, and it is what makes Jesus so unique. In this courtroom, Jesus shows us what a true King is like.

Do you have an answer for everything, or do you keep silent?

Church’s history is full of brothers and sisters who, like Jesus showed the power of silence and the resilience of self-control. Jesus today is still on trial. He is being accused in the lives of every believer who faces persecution, killed, exiled and tortured.
“there is a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;.” (Ecclesiastes 3:7 ESVi)

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